Brazilian striker Hulk led Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG FC to a 1-0 win over K League Classic champions FC Seoul in a Group F match of the 2017 AFC Champions League at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in the South Korean capital on Tuesday.

Hulk, who was signed by the Red Eagles last summer for a then Asian transfer record of $58 million, scored the winning goal of the match in the 53rd minute after a hard-fought first half ended in a goalless draw for both sides.

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The win secured the first victory and three points for head coach André Villas-Boas' squad in the tournament, leading a Chinese sweep of the opening round as fellow CSL teams Guangzhou Evergrande and Jiangsu Suning also defeated their respective opponents.

It did not come easy for SIPG, though, as the team had to hold on to their defense after going a man down in the final half-hour of the contest, ESPN reported. Chinese defender He Guan was sent off in the 59th minute for a hard foul on Seoul forward Dejan Damjanovic inside the penalty box, which left the Red Eagles at a disadvantage for the rest of the match.

Damjanovic's spot kick was unsuccessful as Shanghai goalkeeper Yan Junling blocked his attempt, preserving the visitors' one-point lead.

Seoul manager Hwang Sun-hong subbed in Monaco striker Park Chu-young for Kim Dong-woo in the 67th minute in an attempt to find a late equalizer, but SIPG was able to fend off all of the hosts' attacks to pull off the upset win.

"We had a man sent off but we competed well until the end," Villas-Boas said after the match, via the South China Morning Post.

In the group's other match, Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds crushed Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers, 4-0, at the Campbelltown Stadium in Sydney to join SIPG as the two teams with three points after the first group stage round.

TagsAFC Champions League, AFC Champions League 2017, 2017 AFC Champions League group stage, Hulk, Shanghai SIPG FC, FC Seoul